auburnbutterfly: December 2012

24 December 2012

A Heart of Thanks

Over the past year, auburnbutterfly has evolved into something bigger than I imagined. I was born into a family of artists and began drawing very early. It wasn't until a few years ago that I became increasingly fascinated with cultural arts, so I started auburnbutterfly to chronicle what I discovered. Thank you for joining me and for reading along the way. I am thankful for the continued support you have shown me. I am also thankful to have met a community of so many wonderful people who share this passion.

Before I created auburnbutterfly, I was an avid reader of creative blogs. I was always curious to learn about the writers, and happy to connect through shared interests. It's been an interesting experience being on the other end of the blogging experience this past year. I'd love to know who you are, so please don't hesitate to connect with me! (@RoseofSharonO)

I'm wishing you all the peace and joy of the festive season.

May our hearts be filled with warmth as we begin a new year.

With love,

Sharon Obuobi

Colorama | Men's Fashion

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21 December 2012

The Coiffure Project | Natural Hair Photography

Created by Glenford Nunez of TYP Photography Studio, The Coiffure Project features models of diverse backgrounds with various natural hair styles. When describing his work with The Coiffure Project, Glenford Nunez explains, "..I want people to look at good photography. The Coiffure Project is a portrait project first. The catch is it's all about natural hair."

See more of Glenford Nunez's work at the TYP Photography Studio.

History In Photographs | Ghana & USA

From left to right, top-down:

Ghana, 1961, By Willis E. Bell from "Playtime in Africa". Source

NYC., Harlem, Neighbourhood ballet class, 1968 By Eve Arnold from the Black is Beautiful series

Harlem, 1938

"New Car", South Richmond, VA, 1938. By Robert McNeill, from The Negro in Virginia. Source.
1924 Ghana, West Africa - Prempeh I
June Jordan, Alice Walker, Lucille Clifton, Audre Lorde at Phillis Wheatley Poetry Fest, 1979

20 December 2012

Toyin Oduntola | Art Basel Miami 2012 Series [5]

This year's Art Basel Miami was its eleventh edition and its representation of African American, Carribean Diaspora, and African Diaspora artists is described as the best in Basel's history. In this post series, I present some black artists featured at Art Basel Miami 2012.

Toyin Odutola was born in Ife, Nigeria and raised in Alabama, USA. She describes her methodlogy as, "Black Portrait: Where some may see flat, static narratives, I see a spectrum of tonal gradations and realities. What I am creating is literally black portraiture with ballpoint pen ink. I'm looking for that in-between state where the overarching definition is lost..."

Dotun (Don't Fret.), Pen ink and acrylic ink on board, 2011

All these garlands prove nothing, Pen ink and marker on paper, 2012

Toyin Oduntola is also exhibiting her work in The Progress of Love, at The Menil Collection (December 1, 2012 - March 17, 2013). She was also listed as one of Forbes' Top 30 under 30. Read more about Toyin Oduntola here.

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The Progress of Love

Madam President | The Future of Malawi

Directed by Nick Francis and Marc Francis, Madam President is a film about Malawi's President Joyce Banda and her efforts to lead Malawi as the first female president. The 12 min film explores the challenges that President Banda faces as she mobilizes her resources to create positive change for Malawi. The camera follows her as she visits supporters in Southern Malawi, meets key donors in Brussels, and spends time with women on Mother's Day.

Watch the film, Madam President below:

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30% | A Film About Women and Politics in Sierra Leone

19 December 2012

South African film, Iyeza | Sundance Film Festival 2013

Directed by Zimbabwean artist Kudzanai Chiurai, Iyeza is an allegory of the Last Supper depicting the establishment of a new nation-state. The film explores the African condition by juxtaposing the past and the present of a continent in the grip of violent civil wars. A trailer has not been released for this film yet, but once it is we will share.

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Art & Politics | Kudzania Chiurai's Provocative Artwork

Julie Mehretu | Art Basel Miami 2012 Series [3]

Julie Mehretu is an Ethiopian-born artist who makes large-scale, gestural paintings that are built up through layers of acrylic paint on canvas overlaid with mark-making using pencil, pen, ink and thick streams of paint. Mehretu’s work conveys a layering and compression of time, space and place and a collapse of art historical references, from the dynamism of the Italian Futurists and the geometric abstraction of Malevich to the enveloping scale of Abstract Expressionist colour field painting.

Right: Stadia I Mehretu, 2004. Ink and acrylic on canvas 127 x 160 in.

Julie Mehretu RENEGADE DELIRIUM 2002 private collection, London

Black City.

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye | Art Basel Miami 2012 Series [2]

Lynette Yiadom Boakye is an artist of Ghanaian descent based in London. Her paintings are predominantly figurative with raw and muted colours. Yiadom-Boakye's work puts black subjects at the heart of a European painting tradition from which they have largely been left out.

Left: Rose Emblem, 2011, oil on canvas;

Right: Further Pressure From Cannibals, 2010, oil on canvas

Left: Knave, 2011, oil on canvas; Right: Watcher, 2011, oil on canvas

Condor and the Mole, 2011, oil on canvas

Watch a short introduction to Lynette Yiadom-Boakye's work below:

18 December 2012

Nick Cave | Art Basel Miami 2012 Series [1]

Nick Cave is a fabric sculptor, dancer, and performance artist best known for his Soundsuits which are colourful, often whimsical wearable fabric sculptures. Typical materials used in the sculptures include twigs, dyed human hair, plastic buttons, beads, sequins, and feathers.

Left: Soundsuit, 2011, mixed media, 86 x 48 x 39 inches, NC11.036

Right: Soundsuit, 2008, Mixed media

Nick Cave: Meet Me at the Center of the Earth (travelling exhibition),
Seattle Art Museum, Washington, 2011.

Watch an interview with Nick Cave below:

Follow the series:

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye | Art Basel Miami 2012 Series [2]

Julie Mehretu | Art Basel Miami 2012 Series [3]
Yinka Shonibare | Art Basel Miami 2012 Series [4]

17 December 2012

30% | A Film About Women and Politics in Sierra Leone

30% is a short film which tells the story of a 10 year battle to gain fair representation for women in the governance of Sierra Leone. The significant gap in the representation of women in government is an issue which is common worldwide. According to The Independent, Rwanda is the best place in the world for women to be politicians because it is the only country in which females make up the majority of parliamentarians with 45 out of 80 seats. The UK ranked as 45th, behind Pakistan and United Arab Emirates. The worst countries were Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar, Oman and Belize which have no women in parliament.

Within the context of Sierra Leone's politics we learn about individuals like Dr. Bernadette Lahai, Salamatu Kamara, and Barbara Bangura who each face challenges in their efforts to achieve equality. The film transitions seamlessly between oil painted animation by Em Cooper and live action video by Anna Cady which creates some captivating visual effects.

Watch the official trailer here:

30% is an official for the 2013 Sundance Film Festival in the Shorts Competition. The film was commissioned by Pathways for Women's Empowerment and Screen South, while funded by Real World Films. To learn more about the situation in Sierra Leone, you can read the case study written by Pathways.

You can watch the full short film on IMDB here.

12 December 2012

Sounds of Soul | 12 Songs I Love Right Now

In the spirit of today's special date, here are 12 tunes I've been replaying recently. Click on the album cover to listen. See the song/mix names below. Enjoy!